31August2014 Quickshot: Parks & Rec

Enjoyed a beautiful morning at a local park this morning. 

30August2014 Quickshot: Lost our Marbles?

Lately A. has been keen to play marbles.  We're not sure where he got the idea but if it doesn't involve electronics or lightsabers we have been encouraging him to embrace it.  Little did we know that a marble stepped on in the middle of the night hurts nearly as much as a Lego.  Also, a flicked marble is much more dangerous, especially where windows are concerned, than said Legos.  Maybe we have....wait for it....lost our marbles!

28August2014 Quickshot: Magnet Truth

Each week one of the kids get to make up a word using Lego magnet blocks and post it on the refrigerator door with an accompanying verse.  This week M. created this masterpiece.  The word is "ChiLDrEn" and the verse is Mark 10:14. What great Truth regarding Jesus' love for kids. 

24August2014 Six Wedding Dresses

They were beautiful, really. 

Six wedding dresses.  

Hanging from the branches of an ancient lemon tree. 

The noonday sun made them sparkle.

A perfect breeze made them dance.

A couple days ago we Tweeted a link to a video from BBC regarding child brides among Syrian refugees.  Here’s another article from June of this year and another from February.  News sites are replete with examples.  Labeling this situation a tragedy would be an emphatic understatement.  Young girls from vulnerable families being trafficked, trapped in parental and community-condoned prostitution.  It’s sick really.  We pray that God would bring healing to these little girls and young ladies.  We pray He would bring a deep sense of shame over the region in which this is taking place and a deep, unrelenting compulsion for us and others to do something about it.  We also ask for healing for those ensnared and through gritted teeth and clenched fists, pray for repentance followed by forgiveness for the exploiters. 

As I stood on the rooftop overlooking a neighborhood where thousands upon thousands of refugees have fled, I spotted those dresses, a stark contrast to dust covered browns, tans and creams that make up the city’s landscape.  Five white dresses, each different in style and size, and one purple one.  “What a cool shot that would be!” Kicking myself for leaving my camera in the apartment.  Then it hit me, exactly what those dresses represented.  Not the joy-filled matrimony we see photos of splashed across our Facebook feed.  My heart broke just a little bit more on that rooftop.  The ache continues still. 

God help us reflect your Light into the darkness that is this world.

 Oh how it needs You!

22August2014 Quickshot: Strong

Each block was 15 kilos. He's carrying 5 of them.  Now multiply that times 6 flights of stairs repeated numerous times.  This guys was strong!  Talk about humbling!  No more taking the elevator for us!

18August2014 Guess what day it is

This has to be one of the best commercials ever made!  Remember when it first came out?  For weeks our family, especially J and Z, would repeat the phrases, "Guess what day it is." and "Hump DAAAY!" all the time.  It didn't even have to be on a Wednesday.  I still smile when I see it.

Ironically we are now living in a land filled with camels, of the non-talking variety, and since arriving we're walking around asking the question, "What day is it?"  It is day or night? Is the clock correct?  Can we sleep now?  Will we ever sleep again.  It's like our equilibrium is off kilter.  Hopefully our bodies, and minds, get acclimate quickly and we will get over this hump.  We WILL conquer jetlag!

17August2014 Quickshot: Time to Roll Up our Sleeves

Lift up your eyes and look on the fields, for they are white already to harvest.

14August2014 Peace Out America!

We are wheels up!  Thanks so much for your prayers for travel mercies, sleeping kids, extended legroom, no delays and promptly arriving luggage.  More updates to follow.

13August2014 Dozen

Happy birthday to this kid!  So proud of the young man Z is becoming and grateful for the tremendous part he plays in our family.  For his 12th birthday we echo these words found in 1 Chronicles 28:9  "And you, my son...acknowledge the God of your father, and serve Him with wholehearted devotion and with a willing mind, for the LORD searches every heart and understands every desire and every thought. If you seek Him, He will be found by you; but if you forsake Him, He will reject you forever."

9August2014 On My Shoulders

This morning I did something not so smart.  Of course if you've known me (P) any length of time, you know this is not a rare occurrence.  However it ties in to this post well so bear with me.  

L wanted to go with me on my walk today.  Now, we used to have this really cool jogging stroller for such occasions.  It had big, bicycle-ish wheels, was extremely light weight, rolling easily with minimal exertion, even had cup holders and was this really, really cool orange color.  Does it sound like I liked that stroller?  Do I sound bitter for having to sell it this week?  Does this make me less of a man?  Sorry, I digress... L wanted to go on my walk today and I didn't want to take our little, cutesy, umbrella stroller....sorry, more bitterness....so I put her up on my shoulders and away we went.  

The first half mile was a breeze.  Then the uphill portion of our route started and my knees began to whimper a little.  I was quickly reminded why I began walking in the first place.  Thirty-five pounds of additional weight, no matter how cute those pounds are, is no bueno.  We kept walking and my knees began to bark.  How did I ever make it through the day with all pounds those extra attached to my frame?  Then my joints got good and warm, the breeze picked up and we started the mostly downhill portion of the circuit.  As we chatted and laughed something interesting happened.  I didn't notice L being on my shoulders anymore.  And something she did, maybe a phrase or just a word, or sound brought the flash of a memory across my mind.

It was January 2011 and we were visiting Jerusalem.  As we made plans for the weekend our friends living there suggested we stay away from the old city on Friday because this was the Muslim day of prayer and the streets would be "too dangerous" for an American family to be walking around.  Though we were grateful for the advise we didn't listen.  After all we'd been living in that culture for a couple years and actually spoke some of the language.  Maybe it was not so smart but it turned out pretty good.  

The place was mostly deserted.  We walked up and down the ancient, stone paved streets.  Taking in the beauty and history of what quickly became one of our favorite places on the planet.  We arrived at the vegetable market at precisely the time Al Aqsa Mosque ended their prayers.  Streams upon streams of congregants flooded the street.  Men talking, women buying stores for the week, kids running everywhere, shop keepers proclaiming their deals.  It was a frenzy of activity to say the least.  There in the middle of it were two white folks and their brood of (at that time) four white children.  I grabbed M, put her up on my shoulders, grasped A's hand and pushed our way, upstream, through the throng of non-white, non-English speaking humanity.  Briefly I remembered our friends' warning and craned my neck around, looking up to see if M was afraid.  She had a sort of semi-scared, semi-pouty look on her face.  When questioned, it wasn't because of all the people.  Over the heads of scores of people she had spotted a candy stand and was more concerned about us passing by its goodies without making a purchase than being abducted or ill treated by the people.  So we got candy and ate amazing food and hung out with really great people all within shouting distance of the temple mount.  All within a stone's throw of much of the strife plastered across the news these days.  

We pray for the city and the country we love so much.  For a peace-famined land to nourish itself, no, be sated completely on, the Prince of Peace.  There may never be peace during our lifetime, at least not before the King returns, but there WILL be people on both sides of this conflict that come to know eternal peace before that day.  He afterall, has borne the weight of this mess on His broad and ample and able shoulders.  

Father, help us to see beyond culture and language and skin color and see people.  People You love.  People You sacrificed SO MUCH to have relationship with and spend eternity with.  God, please use our family to be purveyors of peace.  Help us to know You and make You known!

8August2014 More Insanity

Back in May we recommended the book Insanity of God.  Today this jewel is on sale on Amazon for just $3.  Score!  If it's like its predecessor be forewarned, your toes will be stomped on, your gut will be wrenched, your heart will be broken BUT you will be motivated to engage.

7August2014 Reflectors & Radiators

Moses came back down the mountain.  If you'll remember, this was the second time.  His first trip was a hurried retreat, caused by the impropriety of his people involving melted down jewelry, idolatry and a very public, community-wide lapse into sin.  Two broken stone tablets, a bunch of gold flavored milkshakes, and 3,000 corpses later, he headed back up the mountain. 

So Moses went back up the mountain and spent 40 more days and nights in the presence of the LORD.  Then something amazing happened (like all of that isn't amazing enough).  Moses was physically changed by the time spent with God.  He glowed because of his personal, face-to-face exposure to the glory of God.  Awesome!  We're talking BEAMING RADIANCE and he didn't even know it.  Mose came back down the mountain and the people, including his very own brother, were afraid of him.  To the point that he had to put a veil over his face when talking with them. 

As the original word {karan,} signifies to shine out, or dart forth, as horns on the head of an animal, or rays of light reflected from a polished surface, we may suppose that the heavenly glory which filled the soul of this holy man, darted out from his face in coruscations, in the manner in which light is generally represented. The Vulgate renders it, {et ignorabat quod cornuta esset facies sua,} "and he did not know that his face was horned;" which version, misunderstood, has induced painters to represent Moses with two very large horns, one proceeding from each temple! Treasury of Scripture Knowledge

Looking back on my notes, I wrote these words when I studied this passage last month:

...It was to the point that Moses had to cover his face in order for the people to not be mortified.  He would put a veil over the glow when talking to the people but uncover it when talking to the LORD.  Oh Lord!  I want the type of relationship with You that I can take off the mask, even the one I use in ministry situations and be who I am in You!  Forgive me for when I’ve been fake or guarded with You.  I want to SHINE. 

Amen!  That's still my/our prayer today.  We want to abide in the Father to the point that His glory reflects and radiates from us.  May we shine for Jesus!

"You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people’s feet. You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven." Matt.5:13-16 ESV

 

7August2014 Cryout

We don't normally forward things like this (maybe we should) but due to the nature of events taking place in the Middle East we thought it both timely and appropriate to post.  PLEASE join us in this prayer effort on behalf of our persecuted brothers and sisters:

To the Body of Christ worldwide, as you all are following what's happening in the Middle East lately, there is an unleashing of a spirit of slaughtering of God's people in Iraq, and many other geographical areas as well, a sword is passing in this area.
Together with many Christians around the world, we felt the need to pray and fast to stop these blood thirsty demons who march there, and ask for the Prince of Peace to reign over the Middle East.
The urgency of the hour, comes not only from the escalating numbers of martyrs, and innocent people's lives taken down but as well from the warning of the Holy Spirit to the Church in the Middle East as well as in the rest of the world (Esther 4:13& 14). If we don't stand, it will reach many other nations soon, but if we do stand in the gap, THE LORD WILL USHER A NEW ERA OF HARVEST, there is a GOLDEN WINDOW OF OPPORTUNITY during the next 2 weeks to stop this, so lets use it...
Psalm 2 speaks of plans plotted by the enemy against the Messiah and His people, but the Lord will give us the nations as our inheritance.
Shall we cry  "Lord rend the heavens and come down" Isaiah 64:1-4 and put an end to that season...
Lets all unite for 5 minutes prayer Sunday, August 10 and 17, all the churches world-wide, for the oppressed in the Middle East. You will not change your programs but you will just take 5 minutes in focused prayers for the Middle East.
As well, unite all of us in FASTING & PRAYING WEDNESDAY August 13th.
May the Lord have mercy on us and bring in a new season of great harvest globally.
Please, send this email to all your networks and let's pray.
In Jesus' mighty name;
Amen.

Sent out by:
John Robb
Chairman, International Prayer Council

5August2014 Quickshot: Big Obstacle

Just received this email. Another big obstacle cleared and one step closer. God is good!  Y'all please keep praying.

4August2014 Two Regrets

Since we're unemployed, there has been some time for reflection about our last couple years in the States.  Not much time mind you.  Doctor appointments, last minute errands and packing up the house AGAIN (selling, donating, giving away and disposing of....stuff) is consuming most of our waking hours.  However, there's been some time for reflecting.

Today I'm thinking about regrets.  What are some things that I regret since we landed back in America.  A couple things come to mind, immediately:

1. We lived too stinking close to Bojangles.  A large sweet tea and a bacon, egg & cheese biscuit has very little nutritional value.  Add a bo-berry biscuit (if you're not from the South you need to Google this sinful concoction) and you're in a sugar, fat and more sugar induced coma for hours. It's taken me nearly four months to get rid of the forty pounds due, at least in part, to the proximity and availability Bojangles.

2. We lived too close to Krispy Kreme.  Never mind.  See number 1.... 

3. Okay both of those are pretty trivial so I guess the only real regret has been our inability to reconnect with the Body.  Lately I've been convicted about that.  Hebrews reminds us not to forsake the assembling of brothers.  The Message puts it like this, "...Let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on, especially as we see the big Day approaching."(10:25)  When we walked off the plane in July of '11 we were pretty battered and bruised.  The initial euphoria of being on the same continent as loved ones, seeing green everywhere ("green" as in green grass, green trees, green everything) and being able to worship together with large groups of like-minded people, without fear, wore off.  I didn't really know the extent of that whole battered and bruised part.  So when the cultural shock hit us it caught me off guard and rather than investing in others and "spurring each other on," we withdrew.  That's regrettable.  Now, by God's grace, but ironically enough as we prepare to depart again, we are just now to the point of reconnecting.  Losing forty pounds was a lot simpler.

1August2014 Robbing Loved Ones

Wow!  This so speaks to us today!  As we draw nearer to departure, one of our greatest areas of worry is leaving loved ones.  What a great reminder from today's My Utmost for His Highest devotional:

He comes where He commands us to leave. If you stayed home when God told you to go because you were so concerned about your own people there, then you actually robbed them of the teaching of Jesus Christ Himself. When you obeyed and left all the consequences to God, the Lord went into your city to teach, but as long as you were disobedient, you blocked His way. Watch where you begin to debate with Him and put what you call your duty into competition with His commands. If you say, “I know that He told me to go, but my duty is here,” it simply means that you do not believe that Jesus means what He says.He teaches where He instructs us not to teach. “Master . . . let us make three tabernacles . . .” (Luke 9:33).

Are we playing the part of an amateur providence, trying to play God’s role in the lives of others? Are we so noisy in our instruction of other people that God cannot get near them? We must learn to keep our mouths shut and our spirits alert. God wants to instruct us regarding His Son, and He wants to turn our times of prayer into mounts of transfiguration. When we become certain that God is going to work in a particular way, He will never work in that way again.

He works where He sends us to wait. “. . . tarry . . . until . . .” (Luke 24:49). “Wait on the Lord” and He will work (Psalm 37:34). But don’t wait sulking spiritually and feeling sorry for yourself, just because you can’t see one inch in front of you! Are we detached enough from our own spiritual fits of emotion to “wait patiently for Him”? (Psalm 37:7). Waiting is not sitting with folded hands doing nothing, but it is learning to do what we are told.

These are some of the facets of His ways that we rarely recognize.

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